


What Does Charlie Skinner Fear More Than Death

by Spazzo47



Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: Newsroom Fanfiction Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26708095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spazzo47/pseuds/Spazzo47
Summary: "There was a moment a while back, I thought about having you killed.  But then I thought, what does Charlie Skinner fear more than death?" -- Shep Pressman, Red Team IIIThis is for Lilac Mermaid's September, 2016 Fan Fiction CHallenge, Fears and Phobias.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 1





	What Does Charlie Skinner Fear More Than Death

“It was a nice service.”

“Funeral, Linda, it was a funeral. And there is no such thing as a nice funeral. Not for a 19-year-old boy.” Shep Pressman stood on his third-floor balcony feeling like he might be sick. His stomach had been churching like this since the police knocked on his door. His only son, his miracle child… Linda had 3 miscarriages before she got pregnant with David and spent most the pregnancy on bedrest. He always thought he would be a doting dad, he always wanted to be, but there were always insurrections around the world that needed his attention. His superiors didn’t think that a little league baseball game was as important as… who the fuck knows anymore? There was always a mission or a contact or… whatever. And the days he did get to come home, David made it clear that he hated his father. It wasn’t fun coming home. Linda wanted explanations that he couldn’t give, David wanted to do his own thing. 

He came home when David was 13. Linda said David was at a friend’s house. When David came home the next morning, Shep could see immediately that his son was high. Shep sent the kid to his room and immediately called the parents of the friend who said they didn’t know what the kids took, they didn’t even think their son seemed any different. Shep ripped them a new asshole and pounded on their door demanding to search for the drugs. Linda got him under control before the other family called the cops. David tried to run away before having to talk to his father, but he didn’t get far before Shep’s contacts found him. Unfortunately, before Shep could talk to his son, Grady called because of another emergency somewhere in the world. 

Linda looked at her husband’s back and tried to embrace him. Shep instinctively tensed up and moved away. “Please, Shep, we need to get through this together.”

He couldn’t deal with her any more than he could deal with their son. All he could think was about how this happened. Taking his son to rehab. Trying to get his life turned around. Dropping him off at college. David made it through a year of college, Shep started thinking that his son might make it. He might graduate. Shep didn’t know what a kid with a drug habit does with a degree in communications, something he couldn’t say out loud since his cover is a press liaison, but as far as he knew people with communication majors became radio station DJs. But he could give David more, he could arrange for a better option for his son. He couldn’t get him into the DOD, David wouldn’t pass all the security measures, but he could contact ACN on David’s behalf and use Charlie’s name. It’s an open door and something positive for his son.

Shep didn’t move. He finally forced his head to shake. He heard his wife walk off the balcony. The door closed and then he heard her sob. He did this. It was his fault. Linda sat in a room alone and there was only one person to blame. 

Apparently, David got the news about his internship and celebrated. Or maybe he was celebrating before he found out, but they collected him from campus and quietly got him through rehab. He finished his semester and off to his internship. Shep mentioned to Charlie that David would work in the newsroom. He checked up on Neal Sampat, a laid back 20-something himself that would work well with David. David even seemed excited to have his three-month chip. He thought it would work. He thought David may make it. 

Shep turned around and looked through the glass door at his wife. She took her head out of her hands and walked into the kitchen. When she came out, she had a glass of water and walked to the bedroom. 

He could have him killed. It wouldn’t be hard. He can do surveillance on Charlie himself, find out his routines. He’d have to hire someone to cause an accident, grab Charlie and then put him somewhere. A quick bullet to the head would be easy. He’d have to hire someone else to put the body somewhere else. He has the connections. He’d have to go outside the government, but that wouldn’t be hard. He puts ops together like this all the time. He could hear Charlie make his excuses for David getting fired. He could force Charlie to beg for his life. And just when Charlie thinks he’s safe, Shep can pull out a gun and execute him with one shot. 

Shep looked at the empty living room and then back at his perfectly pedicured backyard feeling the first peace he’s felt in the week since the police knocked on his door. He started thinking through all the details of the op. Once he had a plan in mind, he went into his bedroom and laid down next to his wife. He rolled towards her and put his arm around her and kissing her on the head, she moved away from him. 

He took a week off over his bereavement time and followed Charlie. He found the place and time for an accident to happen and where the kidnappers would bring Charlie, where another team would take his dead body. All he had to do was put the plan in motion. A single phone call. But as he looked at his phone, something stopped him. An instinct. He’s worked in the field for 25 years, he knows to trust his instinct. So, he went through the plan again, to see what he missed. It was airtight. He wouldn’t get caught. And he had contingencies if any of his men got sloppy. There was something else wrong, and he had to figure it out. 

Shep turned on his radio and the news came on. “Will McAvoy’s apology to America for the state of broadcast news has caused a lot of discussion by the true journalistic elite. Joining me today are –”

Shep smiled. It had Charlie’s fingerprints all over it. The high ideals of American journalism. It’ll take patience. But he trusted his instincts. There will come a time when Charlie will want a story, and when it happens, Shep knows how to feed him what he wants. Discredit him and the team that he put in place, the team that killed David. It’s Charlie’s biggest fear. It’ll be worse than death for him. And it’ll be slow and painful and at the end of it, Shep will be there to tell him exactly how he was made a fool. 


End file.
